Guardian Angel
by the demonic others
Summary: all worlds are linked together in a loop, in the center of the loop is the Void. creatures from this dark desolate area have begun leaking into Sora's world. Chaos insues when Angel, a girl from the Void arrives with orders from her master...
1. Prologue: Awakening In A Strange World

_Be careful, young angel, when you are searching for him._

_The darkness here is very different from what you know, It can eat you alive._

_Watch your back, and don't fall to far, for I may lose you to the darkness here. Remember who you are searching for, remember his name, and protect him, from the darkness in his own heart._

_He does not know that the game has changed, show him what has changed, but don't tell him to much of yourself, Angel._

_When you awaken in their world, your search will begin, remember not to lose yourself to the dark here._

_** And find Riku**_

A young girl, no older then 15, jolted awake, finding herself under a tree in a strange place. 'Okay, not the first time I've woken up in a strange place. Now to figure out where the hell I am.' She stood, her slender form shaking a bit. 'Gonna take a long time for me to get used to this.' She ran a hand over her blonde hair, her sapphire eyes scanning the area around her. 'hopefully this won't take to long, she's generally pretty good about getting me to the right place.' She brushed a leaf off the elegant white dress she wore, standing up straight and sighing. ' and so it begins. Running Fate's errands again.' The girl took a step farther into the woods, her bare feet crunching softly on the fallen leaves.

**I know this was short, but it's only the prologue, so bear with me. As always, suggestions are encouraged. Hope you like it.**


	2. Angel's Games

The girl stumbled out into the Tram common of Twilight Town, watching the people pass her by. ' Now where to start.'A blonde boy ran past her and caught her eyes. ' I'll start there.' With a burst of light, the world around her and Roxas faded to white, leaving her alone with him.

"What the hell?"

"Ooh, language. I like it."

"Who are you?"

" No one at all, yet the most important person you will meet all day."

"That's not an answer."

"Call me Angel. My master does."

"Who do you work for?"

"Fate. And you are…. Roxas, correct?"

"How do you know that?"

"I work for Fate. This white world allows me to learn everything about you. I know what you remember, Hayner, Pence, and Oulette. I know what you don't remember, your true past." Roxas eyed her, caution evident in his blue eyes.

" This is too weird."

"I get that a lot." The world gained it's color again, and Angel in truth, stood several feet away from him, her eyes turned the other way, watching the rest of the world. ' Roxas, something's coming, be careful. I know your path, I know what you must do.' Angel's voice rang in his mind and he turned to look at her. She smiled at him, and walked off into the town.

'Seriously, this is really getting weird.' Roxas stared after her, curious about this strange young woman. He smirked a bit and followed her, staying a fair distance from her.

'I know you're there, Roxas. I can hear your mind. There's no need for you to hide. Walk with me if you wish.' Roxas caught up to her and she smiled at him.

"You're cute. I'm actually quite fond of you. I like how your mind works." She caught his hand and smiled when he blushed.

"Angel, where did you come from?"

"I came from a place between dimensions, where time means nothing and there is no sound. I'm not alone there though, I have Fate, and she sends me to different worlds to insure things turn out the way they should. You don't belong in this place, so I can tell you." She leaned over and kissed Roxas's cheek, making him blush again.

"Why do they call you Angel?"

"Because I lost my true name when I entered the Void. Fate calls me little angel, so I tell people that my name is Angel."

"Why did Fate choose you?"

"I don't really know. I know I lived a full lifetime in one of the worlds and when I died, my soul was sent to the Void, and I was ordered to assist Fate. I've been waking up in strange worlds ever since."

" Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I think you're cute, and we are a lot alike. Neither of us belongs here, you are a part of someone else, Roxas. The darker side of someone. For your other half to awaken, you must make him whole again, you will be reabsorbed into him, become a part of him once again, and while you will still be present in him, you will no longer have a body of your own." Roxas just stared at her as they walked.

"When does all this happen?"

"In a few days. Enjoy the time you have left, Roxas."

"Where are you going?"

"To check on your other half. Perhaps I can find a clue as to the whereabouts of the man I was sent here to find."

" Who?"

"Riku. I know you don't recognize that name, aside from the dreams you've been having. The people you dream of, all of them are real, the things you see, really happened. Those dreams are the memories of your other half."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"I thought you wanted to know. I would want to know what I was and what was going to happen to me."

" Thank you."

"You haven't been getting many answers lately. Ask me anything and I will answer it for you."

"What are those things that have been attacking me lately?"

"They're called Dusks. They're a low ranking Nobody, the same brand of being you are, though I refuse to call a thinking, speaking thing by such an awful name. It makes you seem, less alive. They are slaves to a group of powerful nobodies, calling themselves Organization XII, of which you used to be a member, now before you react to that bit of information, they're not entirely evil, their cause is good, they just want to be whole, but they've been going about it in all the wrong ways."

"What do you mean?"

"They use people, to collect hearts."

" And what part do I play in all this?"

"You are the other piece to a powerful human that can stop them, Sora. He played a huge part in the events of the last year or two, killed a few very powerful very evil things. And stopped the hostile takeover bid the darkness was waging in this world."

"You know a lot about a place you've never been before."

"I watch, and I listen, you see the Void is connected to all the dimensions, I've been watching the wars in this one for a while now. I find this place quite interesting. But I have not been allowed to come here until now. I have been watching you for a while now."

"And what have you seen?"

"I saw your birth, when Sora split, if it's any consolation, I like you better. I like your rage. He's too nice, his emotions are to unbalanced. You're closer to normal, you have hatred."

"But I'm too nice too."

"Not like he is. You can be angry. He can't. Not yet. When you become part of Sora once again, I want you to lend him some of your darkness."

"what do you mean?"

" you aren't all light like he is. You have some shadow to you, you're closer to the average human."

"If I'm not a whole person, if I'm only half, why do you talk to me like I am?"

" I won't treat you like you are less than human when you act more human than Sora did."

" There are these two… people.."

"Axel and Diz. They both speak the truth. You and Axel were very close, you were the only person he cared about, when you were still with the Organization. I would go as far as to say that he loved you. Though I can't tell if the feeling was mutual. When all this is over, perhaps you can be with him."

"and Diz?"

" he's not who he says he is. But his cause is noble, he's trying to wake Sora. I promise, you will get to see Axel again if you cooperate with Diz. I will make sure of it."

"Promise?"

"yeah. And I never break a promise."

"what do I have to do?"

"come with me. I will lead you down your path, through the events that will reunite you with Sora. You may lose yourself within him for a moment, but I will still be able to speak to you, because I have touched your mind. Don't be afraid, you will not be alone. I will linger on, I will speak to you, and when this is over, I will give you your own body. I will do the same for Axel, when the time comes." Roxas smiled at her, and she kissed his cheek again, laughed at his blush, and pulled him down the street by his hand.

" come on, your friends are waiting on you."

* * *

I hope you like this chapter a bit better, I tried to make this longer. Sending me reviews will make me write faster! Thanks!


	3. Riku?

Angel and Roxas faced Hayner Pence and Oulette, Angel still holding Roxas's hand. Oulette looked Angel over, smiling. "Oulette, will you show me around? I wanted to go shopping." Oulette smiled at her and took her hand pulling her away from Roxas, already chattering about the clothes they should get for her.

'I won't let her take me to far, Roxas, and if anything happens, think my name and I'll be there. I promise.' Roxas smiled after her, as Hayner and Pence began to tease him about her.

Angel and Oulette returned to the usual spot, hours later, Angel in a short black skirt and a crimson shirt, red and black striped socks and red high heels. Black and red plastic bangles ringed both wrists and she wore a red ribbon choker, one black hoop earring and one red one, Her hair was dyed black, with a single red streak on the right side, her eyes were ringed in black eyeliner and her lips painted crimson. Roxas smiled at her and Oulette pushed her towards him, smirking. "Go on you two. Go do something together." Roxas blushed and Angel took his hand, pulling him out into the streets.

"She really did a number on you." He muttered, looking her over again.

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah." Roxas blushed a bit more and Angel laughed.

"Let's go someplace quiet."

"There's not many of those here."

"I know but there must be one."

"We can go to my place."

"Sounds fun, but what will your parents say?"

"Something along the lines of you brought a girl home this time?" Angel laughed began to wipe her lipstick off with her thumb.

" You don't wear makeup much do you?"

"No. And I've never worn high heels before."

"I couldn't tell."

"I'm very graceful. I won't fall, but that doesn't mean I like them." She kicked them off and threw them in the bag with the rest of the things Fate's cash had bought for her. Roxas smiled at her and she kissed his lips, a quick teasing kiss, that shocked Roxas to silence.

" You're so cute when you blush. I just can't help myself. You remind me of someone…. but I can't remember his name. Someone I used to know, someone I used to love."

"Is that why you keep kissing me?"

"I guess. I think I just genuinely like you too though." Roxas smiled, and kissed Angel, drawing her into his arms.

' You've never done this before have you, Roxas?' Roxas pulled away and smiled at her, shaking his head.

"I've never kissed anyone before."

"I stole your first kiss. I almost feel guilty." She laughed and kissed him again.

'Maybe this way, you'll be ready when you get to see Axel again.' Roxas pulled away, blushing brightly.

" Hey, I don't even know him."

" You will by the end of the week. You're recovering your memories. I can feel it." Angel saw something move out of the corner of her eye, a figure in black.

"Roxas, did you see that?"

"No. What was it?"

"A man in black." Roxas smiled at her.

"I saw him earlier, before you arrived. "

"I think he's watching you."

" I thought that too." Angel moved toward where she had seen the strange man, looking to follow him. She darted into the woods, Roxas close behind.

" Angel, what are you doing?"

"I have to find him. I think he's the one I'm looking for."

" What?" "The one I was sent to protect." Angel passed through the hole in the wall, to the woods where she had awoken. She stopped as she felt the man's energy vanish.

"Damn it." Angel cursed and turned back to Roxas.

"He left, his energy's gone. I lost him."

"Let's keep going, lets figure out how he left." Angel sighed and followed Roxas to the mansion on the other side of the woods.

"This place has a strange energy to it. Like it has a life of its own." Angel looked at the gate of the mansion, pondering how to get inside.

"You can climb, can't you, Roxas?"

"I don't know about this. It doesn't feel right." Angel was already halfway up the gate, and smirking down at him.

"Fine, be a good kid." She reached the top of the gate and swung over, landing silently in the grass on the other side. She smiled at him from the other side of the gate.

"Wait for me in the woods then, Roxas. I won't be long." She ran into the old mansion, searching the whole place, looking for Riku, or some sign as to where he was.

The man in black stepped into sight, staring at Angel. "You! There you are."

The world bleached out again, and Angel saw who the man really was.

"I found you. Listen to me, the tide of this game is changing, the darkness you dance in is following a master that is not from your world, something far more powerful than what you should be facing."

"Who are you?" Riku heard his own voice and raised a hand to his face.

" Angel, a messenger of Fate. Please listen to me, Riku. I was sent to protect you, to pull you back from the darkness. It's not safe for you to be this far into the darkness anymore. Come back into the light, Riku."

" Why should I trust you?"

" I don't lie, and I wouldn't lie to you. If you stay the way you are, you will die. And I will fail, Fate will punish me severely if I fail."

"Again, Why should I trust you."

" I can give you your body back."

" I need this."

"No, you don't. Power is not everything, Riku. I'm supposed to protect you. I'll give you my power." Riku smirked at her, shaking his head.

"You can't help me."

"But I can. At least let me go with you, I have to look after you."

"Fine, you can tag along, but don't bother me." Angel reached out to Roxas, touching his mind.

'I found Riku. I have to go now. But I'll see you again.' She felt Roxas's mood shift and turn to sorrow. 'I'm sorry Roxas I hadn't planned on finding him, and I don't have a choice.'

'I know. Just promise to come back to me.'

'Someday, remember, co-operate with Diz and I'll give you and Axel your own bodies when this is over.'

'Goodbye, Angel.' Roxas turned and left the mansion, as Angel followed Riku from his world.

* * *

well, there it is, hope you liked chapter three


	4. Namine, My Love

"I wasn't supposed to take anything from that world into this one." Riku muttered as they returned to the computer filled room that formed the passage to the version of twilight town Roxas called home.

"I'm not from that world, Ansem." She called him by the name he had chosen, complying with his wishes. "I'm from somewhere very different. A place between dimensions, where my master and I can watch your world and many others go about their business. My master, Fate, calls it The Void."

"Such an unreal story."

"Stranger things have happened to you, just in the past six months. Is there a single thing you won't believe?"

" At this point? No. I've seen so much. I just want to go home."

"Back to your island?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sure Diz already knows my story."

"Probably." Stepping through the portal to the real world, Angel was met with a mirror image of the room on the other side, apart from one difference, Diz was sitting before a computer, he laughed a bit as she approached.

"Angel, you claim to be a messenger of Fate. If this is true, tell me something I don't know." Angel leaned down, her lips to Diz's ear, whispering something to him, that Riku couldn't hear. She stood straight again, and laughed at the look on Diz's face.

"Very well then. You are who you say you are."

" I wish to see this girl you call Namine. I believe I know her from The Void."

"Ansem, show our guest to Namine's room." Riku just nodded, turning and leaving the room, Angel close behind.

"What did you tell him?"

"The truth of the human heart. Something he has had a great interest in for a long time now. It's something only a being from The Void would truly know. I know many things that only a being like me would know."

"Will you answer questions?"

"If I can do so without upsetting the future."

" Will I ever get my form back" Riku's voice was small, barely audible over the sound of his boots on the floor.

"Yes, but I can't tell you of the events that will lead up to it, or the events after. You are a major player in this game, so I can't tell you much. But know that all will be right in the end, if you step back from the dark a bit, lest you fall under the influence of the demon that controls the darkness. If that happens, you will never regain your true form, you will never return to your island and your friends will die."

" Grim prophecy."

"It's what Fate foresaw when she sent me here. The creature that controls the darkness here now, is a creature of The Void, to powerful for you and Sora to handle alone. Speaking of Sora, I noticed earlier, when I pulled you into my white world, when I read your mind, that you care for him more than one would care for a friend." Riku was silent so Angel continued. "It seems you harbor a soft spot for him, like that of a lover…." Riku stared at her from under his hood, glaring daggers at her.

" Aw, did I embarrass you? Relax, I won't tell a soul. Save maybe Sora."

"Please don't."

"Why not, scared he doesn't feel the same way for you? I can tell you, when he wakes."

" Would you do that?"

" It falls within my range of abilities and it would pull you back from the dark a bit, give you a reason to want to survive this." Riku cringed a bit at Angel's tone; she was scolding him for the suicidal thoughts in his head.

" You would have considered it as well."

"I never said I wouldn't, just that I disliked seeing those thoughts in the head of someone so beautiful. I see you as you really are, as your heart is, not the form you are in now. You are the most beautiful thing I've had the pleasure of protecting. And if you want to know what is in Sora's heart, I will tell you, if you will be patient with me." Riku smiled at her, and gestured toward a nearby door.

"Namine's in there."

"You're not coming with me?"

"I don't like seeing her very much."

"I see, she reminds you a bit to much of someone, doesn't she?"

"Yes." Angel smiled at Riku and opened the door, onto a very white room.

"Namine, do you remember me?"

"Angel!" Namine ran into Angel's arms, smiling.

"Angel, why are you here?"

"Fate sent me to head off a little problem she foresaw."

"I see."

"I missed you too though." Angel kissed Namine's lips, running her fingers through her hair.

"You've been here for a long time, Namine. You're starting to taste like this place."

"Sorry?"

" I like this body, so delicate, skin like silk." Angel dragged her tongue across Namine's neck, tasting her.

" It's a bitch, taking a new form in every world, vanishing the second my job is done, to fall into another body."

"Almost makes you want to procrastinate, doesn't it?"

"Yeah."

"I missed you so much. I begged for this job, I could have been a saving a rare species of dragon right now."

"I know how much you love killing jobs."

"I love you more, and you've been gone for so long, I just had to see you." Angel kissed Namine again, more passionately this time, tangling her fingers in her hair and pulling her against her body. "But Angel, won't you be stuck here longer than me?"

"Yeah, but small price to pay to see you, my love. I couldn't be without you any longer. And I asked Fate to assign us together next time."

"But Angel, I'll have to wait for you in The Void."

"I know, but I won't take to long."

" What are you here to do?"

"I have to pull Riku back from the dark and help them kill one of The Void's criminals."

"Which one?"

"Desmariten, the lord of shadows."

"Let's not leave out, your rival for three hundred years. Please don't be reckless, Angel. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't get hurt."

"Promise me you will let Sora and Riku help you."

"I promise."

"Be safe, Angel. And don't take to long to finish this. I'm almost done here; I have to go back to The Void soon. Riku's not as strong of heart as he used to be, be kind to him. No pranks, and no lies. Don't let him get beat up to badly."

"You almost sound like you care about him?"

"I like him. Just the same way you do. I want you to be safe too, Angel. Don't do anything stupid, Angel."

"I won't."

"I'll see you in The Void."

"Wait what?" Namine flickered and faded, leaving Angel alone in the room.

"Damn it." Angel cursed and left the room, feeling another aura enter the area, one that had been asleep for a long time…


	5. Can We Trust Her?

Whoo! 5 in one night!

Angel stayed well out of sight when Sora woke, letting him and his friends figure out what happened on their own, following them when they left. 'Roxas, can you hear me?'

'Angel? What happened?' Angel smiled, at the sound of Roxas' mental voice, something she'd only been able to hope would be intact when he rejoined Sora.

'you're part of Sora now. I told you about this.'

'oh yeah.'

'now be calm and don't get to emo, alright?'

'alright.'

"Sora." Angel said aloud as they stepped out into the courtyard.

"Who're you?"

"My name's Angel. I merely wanted to speak with you Sora."

"'Bout what?"

"Riku."

"What? Where is he?" Angel smiled and the world turned white, in that instant, she knew his heart as well as her own and smirked.

"That's all I needed to know." Angel released him from her white world and flickered out, vanishing into thin air.

Angel reappeared, stepping out of Namine's room, Riku waited for her outside. She leaned up and touched the hem of his hood.

"I saw his heart, Ansem. I know that he cares for you. Just the same why you care for him." She stepped away, smiling.

"Will you let me see you now?"

"If you really want to." He raised a hand to his hood, pulling it back. The face beneath was older, strange, though still beautiful, in the way that he shied away from her gaze, keeping his eyes down.

" This is so far from what your heart is. You must regret this so much."

"I do." He pulled his hood back up.

"I told you that you would get your form back if you came out of the darkness. And you've stepped back already. Keep this up and you'll be at Sora's side in two weeks time."

" You're not lying to me are you?"

"Considering my girlfriend just told me to be nice to you? No."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Namine is my girlfriend in the Void. The reason I took this job. I can be a bit of a prankster and she told me to be nice to you. So I am. I'm here to help you and Sora, and nothing more. well that and to finish off my rival once and for all."

"Rival?"

"Desmariten, the creature that's controlling the dark here now. He's been attacking me at regular intervals for almost 300 years now. And I hate him so much." Angel's delicate hands curled into fists for a moment before she composed herself.

Riku smirked at her anger. " Then you'll be helping us kill him."

"you'll be helping me. And even then, only because Namine told me not to be reckless. Count yourself lucky that I've lost a few fights with the bastard. Otherwise, I would have just come here, killed him, and left. I would never have spoken to you, and you still wouldn't know." Riku looked away from her.

" I don't know what you plan to do, Riku. But I have to run interferance."

"Angel, please don't tell him where I am."

"I won't. but why not?"

"I don't want him to see what I've become." Angel nodded and vanished, flickering out within a bright white light.

She appeared before Sora as he, Donald, and Goofy rode the train from Twilight Town. "Hello, Sora."

"You!"

"Calm down. I'm on your side. Things aren't as they were here. There's something playing with your lives, more so than I am. I'll tell you the name of our enemy if you calm down."

"Fine, but what do you know about Riku."

"Nothing that I can tell you, aside from the fact that he's alright. He made me promise not to tell you more."

"But why?"

"Something happened to him, and he's ashamed of the things he did."

"can you tell me where he is?" Angel shook her head.

"But he's alive, that's enough for you isn't it?"

"I guess."

"now back to where we were. The real enemy here isn't from your world, these worlds that you call home. He, Like me, is from a place called The Void. He is an escaped criminal, I am an agent of a being called Fate, she sees all, hears all, and weaves the stories of your lives, of the lives of all things. She sent me to help you deal with Desmariten. There are a few other Agents here as well, on different missions. Fate thought that my powers were more suited for dealing with your larger problems."

"What are your powers?" Donald chimed in, staring at the dark way she was dressed.

" My powers are based around the basic element of light, Desmariten's are based around darkness. Let me help you, Sora."

"Alright."

"Are you sure we can trust her?" Donald muttered to Sora, his eyes on Angel.

"No. But only one way to find out I suppose." Angel crossed her arms and sat down, closing her eyes and waiting, patiently, for a chance to prove herself.

She opened her eyes as the train stopped, screeching to a halt before a strange tower. Stepping out onto the patch of grass the train had stopped by, she blinked against the sudden light, a small motion that only Donald noticed. "Something's not right here, I sense darkness." Angel muttered as they walked up to the tower. Something very, very, round stood at the door, muttering to itself.

"Pete!" the round thing turned to face the voices, as Donald and Goofy had spoken at the same time. Angel simply smirked, resisting the urge to laugh out loud at the way the fat creature stammered. When the fat thing set a group of Shadows on them Angel just laughed, a glowing white spear appearing in her hand, destroying the heartless in one swing. Sora just stared at her for a moment.

"Holy."

"I told you. Light like mine, a power from the void, is unlike any magic you've seem before." Sora smiled at her.

"I'm glad you're on our side." Angel nodded and followed the group into the tower, the white spear vanishing. She closed her hand to hide the burn on her palm, hiding her hand in her pocket.


	6. I Know What You Are

Beginning the slow advance up Yen Sid's tower, Angel grew more and more anxious the closer they got to the powerful aura at the top.

"Something bothers me though." Sora muttered, not taking his eyes from the path before him.

"What?" Angel replied, both her hands in her pockets.

" Maleficent."

"Can you sense her too?"

"What?"

"I'll take that as a no. People like her are often very hard to kill Sora. She'll end up being taken to The Void. Often that is the only way to stop them."

"She's alive."

"Not necessarily, it could be her vengeful spirit I'm sensing. I don't know if she has a physical form." Sora looked over his shoulder at her.

" We have bigger problems to worry about, Sora."

"Right."

"Desmariten and his darkness make Maleficent look like a toddler. We'll need your strength, mine, and that of another to beat him."

"Another? Who's the last one?"

"I can't tell you. Things won't turn out right if I do. And I have to follow orders."

"Who's orders?"

"Fate's. she told me that if I told you anything, the power of your heart would destroy how things were supposed to end."

"Tell me something."

"The last one is someone you care deeply for." Sora's eyes lit up and he smiled.

"Riku." He muttered, thinking of the silver haired boy for the millionth time that day.

"The way you remember him and the way he is now are two very different things it seems. Do you want me to show you a more recent picture, Sora?"

"Please?" She reached into his mind and planted the image of Riku's true form there, tall and strong and beautiful, something far different than the boy he'd left as. Sora stopped in his tracks.

"How long has it been?"

"For you, a year, for him, that year was much longer, he's aged only a year physically, but his soul has aged far more, it's kinda sad, to see a heart that was so full of wanderlust and adventure turned so bitter toward the world. He's been looking for you as well, and it's changed him. Talking to him now, it's like talking to a world-weary adult. And it seems regret is the emotion that drives him. He's been killing himself with the thoughts of what he did to you. I told him you would forgive him in a second, but he wouldn't listen to me."

"I already forgave him."

" I know."

"Do you know where he is?"

"No." Angel lied, knowing that it was easier to lie to Sora than to tell him a piece of a story. "But I can tell you this… watch the shadows and you may well see him. He's taken to watching over you, he worries about you a lot. And he should, considering the danger you're in."

"danger?" Angel laughed, she'd expected as much.

"Yes, danger Sora, you're in constant danger, with two separate factions trying to kill you it would seem. But you'll hear more about that when we get to the top."

Yen Sid stared at Angel when they walked in, but returned to his duties quickly, explaining the situation as it was to Sora, and then ushering him, Donald and Goofy into the next room. "What are you doing here?" He asked Angel, who leaned against the door, waiting for her companions.

"Fate sent me to help."

"I know what you really are."

"I'd expect no less from you, Yen Sid."

"I should warn Sora."

"I won't hurt him, no matter what I really am, we're not all evil you know." Sora entered the room again and Yen Sid turned to him, Angel smiled from the door. "That's not a bad look for you kid." Sora just smiled at her and she saw Roxas for a moment. Shaking the thought away she moved to stand by Sora's side. She watched the goings on in silence, her eyes locked on Yen Sid's. when Sora and the others were ready to leave, she lingered.

"Wait for me Sora. I still have some things me and Yen Sid need to talk about. I'll be right there." She smiled at Sora, who nodded and turned, leading the others away as well.

"Yen Sid. There's some things you need to know. Undoubtedly, the happenings in The Void have not gone unnoticed, as it is connected to all worlds, it influences all worlds. I would expect you to know that much, as attuned to things as you are. But there are some things that you haven't foreseen. There are several agents of Fate here, and none of them have been responding to Fate's summons. The darkness in this world has corrupted them, keep your guard up, they will come for you, if they discover your whereabouts. Be careful, I'd hate to see something as wise as you be destroyed." Yen Sid nodded and Angel left, racing down the stairs to catch up with Sora.

* * *

I wonder if anyone out there knows what I'm doing next… leave me a review and tell me if you think you know.


	7. A Piece Of The Past

"Sora!"

"That didn't take long."

"I'm not much for words. Let's get out of here, they need you at the next stop." Sora smiled, Angel saw Roxas, and off they went.

"Is this really Hollow Bastion?"

"Looks like it." Angel smiled, looking around, feeling more at home here than she had anywhere else. She sighed and followed Sora farther into the town, Smiling brightly when she saw Yuffie.

"Angel! You're back!"

"It's been a while hasn't it?"

"Yeah. What're you here for this time?"

"Well, I gotta help this little fuck find his friend and get home. Seems he couldn't have done it by himself."

"Same old bullshit then?"

"Profoundly. Then again, I volunteered for this one."

"Why? Sounds boring as hell."

"It is but, my girlfriend was here, and Fate said I could find answers here." Sora gave her a curious look.

"Answers?"

"Sora. I have no memories of my past, up until a few cycles ago…. I've been searching for my past, for the truth of who I was. Though it means little to what I am now…. I still want to know." Her hands curled into fists and she closed her eyes, sighing a moment later.

" Speaking of it, have you seen Cloud lately, Yuffie?"

"Nope."

"Damn it. Now where did that little bastard run off to?" Angel sighed again. "Oh well, he's bound to turn up eventually. Next time you see him, tell him I'm back and I'm up for that rematch he wanted."

" I'm sure he'll be ecstatic." Angel laughed, nodding.

"Though the thought of him smiling makes my brain wanna burn."

"I know."

"Such a stiff…" it was Yuffie's turn to laugh, thought their conversation was interrupted, when a contingent of strange enemies ambushed them. These creatures were vastly different that the heartless and nobodies indigenous to his world, they had snake-like bodies though they had arms and long fingers tipped with sharp claws.

"Sora, they're Voidwraiths. Don't meet their eyes. Donald, don't even think about it, Magic makes them stronger." Angel cringed a bit as the silver sword she'd summoned reopened the burn on her hand. Angel closed her eyes, pulling the black cotton headband she'd been wearing down to cover her eyes, blindfolding herself. Using her aura sight, she moved to Sora's side.

"Ready, Kid. Don't let them bite you." Angel raced into the crowd of Voidwraiths, slaying them while narrowly dodging their strikes. Sora did not fare as well, taking numerous slashes and bites. When the last one was killed, Angel returned to Sora.

"Damn it kid, learn to dodge." Angel muttered a few colorful curses under her breath. "Don't freak out kid." Angel muttered as her body began to change, twisting into that of a white winged silver wolf. She put one paw on his chest, forcing him to the ground and set to licking his wounds.

A few moments later she let him up, his wounds healed, and she shifted back, sighing as she stood. "Been a long time since I've had to use my true form…" she glared at Sora. "You remember the last time, don't you, Yuffie?"

"Yep, the last time Cloud tried to get all tough with you."

"I kicked the crap out of him, blindfolded. But I didn't let him suffer to long."

"Healed him right after words."

"I probably should have left him like that a moment longer, lord knows it would have done him some good…."

"Come on, guys. The others are waiting for you." Angel nodded and smiled at Sora.

"Well, are we just gonna stand here all day."


	8. The Truth Of Angel's Light

Sora looked himself over then smiled at Angel. "Thanks."

"It's nothing, let's go." Angel smiled back, seeing Roxas again. The wound on Angel's hand dripped blood onto the ground and Sora finally noticed it.

"Angel, what happened to your hand?"

"It's nothing." She answered backing away from him; this Riku-like behavior caught him as well and he stepped toward her.

"It's not."

"I can't tell you."

"You don't trust me?"

"Sora…I. you wouldn't trust me anymore…."

"Tell me anyway."

"Fine, I'm not what I said I was, I'm not elemental light. I'm elemental darkness. I put on this façade; I hide myself behind this shield of goodness and light, when really I'm just another monster. Just like the ones you've been slaying. Let me show you…" Her eyes flashed red, her skin lost its healthy glow, paling, strange black patterns ran across her skin and she began to radiate darkness like the Voidwraiths had.

"See what I am, see what's been protecting you. I know not why I am this way, that is why I search for my past. I must have done some horrible things for my very soul to be like this." Angel turned to leave, her shadowy form fading into the ground. Sora made a grab for her, his hand passed through her.

" Angel wait!" but she was gone, red eyes full of regret for crimes she didn't know, never even saying goodbye, never even looking back.

Sora cursed under his breath, drawing shocked looks from his friends. "The girl is clearly a demon. It's best not to go after her." Donald muttered, earning a rather sour look from Sora.

"Are you going to say the same thing about Riku when I find him?"

"What? No."

"What is the difference, Donald? What do you see that I don't?"

"You saw her!"

"And. She's still saved my life. It's all the same to me." Donald deflated; staring down at the patch of earth Angel had vanished into.

"I have to find her…" Sora muttered, racing off into the town again.

Angel sat on the highest peak of stone she could find, curled into a ball, fighting the dark within herself. She flashed between forms, blonde girl and shadow incarnation battled back and forth, and she screamed, feeling like she was being ripped apart from the inside. To her displeasure, someone heard her and came to investigate the sound. They attacked, sensing the malevolence of her shadow self. She tumbled aside at the last second.

"Cloud, stop." The blonde froze, realizing who it was.

"Angel?" She nodded, unable to speak, barely controlling her screams. Cloud moved to her side, laying a hand on her. At his touch, her body seized and she fell unconscious.

She woke in a room she didn't recognize, to a pair of familiar blue eyes.

"Where's Cloud?" Sora shook his head, having not arrived here until after Angel. Yuffie spoke up.

"He brought you here, then left again. I have no idea where he went." Angel's eyes fell, and looking down at herself she smirked.

" This is different." Her skin still held the deathly pallor of her shadow from, thought now it was marked with a strange black and silver pattern. Her eyes had turned a haunting violet. She looked a bit more like a skeleton now, she'd slimmed out considerably, leaving her a gaunt shadow of the blonde girl she had met Sora and Roxas as. Her hair was silver for the most part, though her bangs were black. She stood, her smirk becoming a half grin as she realized what she was wearing. It was a long silver dress, fading black at the hemline, slit to her waist, beneath it; she wore tight white leggings and ankle high black boots. A silver chain belt hung loose around her waist, on it was her sword, dark silver instead of white or black, sheathed. Around her wrists hung silver chains, hanging nearly to the floor. Around her neck was a shackle, a chain hung from it, broken. She looked at her hands, she still had her shadow form's claws, thought they were much shorter now. She drew her sword and as soon as the point of it cleared the sheath the claws on her left hand lengthened and her arm, from the elbow down began to radiate shadow.

"Looks like I got a whole new set of tricks."

"Seems like. Angel… I don't care what you are, I owe you my life, that's all I need to know." Angel smiled.

"It seems I've underestimated your kindness, Whiteheart."

"Whiteheart?"

"It's a term Fate uses for people that are wholly good, people like you who would give your life for someone you don't even know. I don't know what she would call me now." Angel laid a hand over her heart, her violet eyes darkening.

"Cheer up, Angel." Sora's voice turned to Roxas' in her head and she smiled.

"Alright, enough standing around, we still have things to do."

"Right. Leon asked us to meet him."

"Well let's go. I have some catching up to do it seems. Wanna race, Sora?"

"Do you know where we're going?"

"I can still feel Leon's aura, so the answer to the question is yes."

"You can feel him?"

"Yeah. Agents of Fate have an extra sense, called Aura. When we can see with our eyes, it's like an extra sense of touch, but when we can't see, like when I blindfolded myself earlier, when we fought the Voidwraiths, it becomes a second sight."

Sora nodded and grinned. "Come on."

"Alright, but if I get there first what do I win?"

"What do you want?"

"Hmmm…. You have to buy me something sweet if I win."

"And if I win, you have to tell me something about Riku."

"Alright."

"And I'll buy something sweet for all of us."

"Cool."

"Ready?"

"Yeah." Angel took her stance.

"Go!" they raced off into the city, and Angel held herself back a bit, letting Sora win.

They skid to a stop at the archway into the bailey, panting a bit. "I won." Sora grinned, then sobered up a bit when he realized what he'd won.

"Alright, I'll tell you something, but there are several things he asked me specifically not to tell you. To avoid breaking my promise to him, I can't tell you where he is."

"Just tell me something."

"Well, he misses you, so much so that I fear that it is the only thing that keeps him going. He's been a bit suicidal of late, though who can really blame him, with all the things that have happened to him. He went to such lengths to find you, I've never seen someone so devoted to someone they called their friend. I've only seen that in lovers…" Angel trailed off, acting like she'd said to much when she fully intended to plant the thought in Sora's mind, lead him a little closer to the truth. Angel smirked as Sora blushed, knowing she had succeeded. She chimed into his head, something she had refrained from doing, for fear of causeing to strong of a mental bond. ' he told me not to tell you, but I suppose this way I didn't _Tell_ you.' Angel smiled and gestured toward the bailey.

" Shall we?" Sora shook his head, clearing it and walked at Angel's side, stepping into the bailey with her.


	9. Corruption

Leon stood in plain sight, waiting. He turned and saw them, smirking a bit. Angel ran up to him. "how have you been since we last met?"

"Fine."

"it's been so long since I heard your voice, I forgot just how enchanting it is." Leon smirked a bit, turning to Sora. Angel looked down at the sea of heartless below, watching the ocean of black writhe in the limited light. To her dismay, there were Voidwraiths down there as well, mixed in with the expected heartless and nobodies. She nodded expecting as much.

"There's more to this than you have seen, Leon. There are Voidwraiths down there as well. They'll organize the heartless into an army, turn them into an effective military. I don't know if they will be able to do the same with the nobodies as well. You could have a real problem on your hands."

"Great…" Sora sighed, looking out over the ocean of darkness again.

A few seconds later, there was a loud sound, something was coming, Angel drew her sword and raced toward the sound, claws and blade at the ready. The gate swung closed behind Sora, as Angel was thrown back into sight, only to toss her sword aside and leap at the unseen opponent again, both set of claws out and a feral growl on her lips. A moment later three Dusks were thrown into sight, slammed against the wall and killed. a strange humanoid creature, radiating black energy tackled Angel into sight.

"Sora, Guard the gate." She growled, thrusting her claws through the creature. A swarm of nobodies rushed the gate a moment later. Sora's eyes widened for a moment, Leon rushed forward the meet them. Angel leapt away from her opponent, grabbing her sword, it glowed white in her hand. She thrust it thought her opponent's rib cage and he fell back, the dark pulsing away from them, leaving the shell behind. As it went, so too did the nobodies that had been attacking the gate. Angel found her way to the Shell of the black creature and kneeled beside it.

"As I thought."

"What is it?" Sora asked, stepping close to the body.

"He was an Agent of Fate, like me. The darkness took him. This is all that is left. Poor creature, He'll be returned to the void and treated as a criminal until I am with my love again. then we will be asked to purify his soul. If he survives that, he'll return to work."

"what was his name?"

"Dakura."

"did you know him?"

"he was my friend." Angel stood, and with a snap of her fingers, the shell burst into flame. Sora stared after angel as she walked away from the fire.

"You don't seem very sad."

"I don't show emotions like normal people."

Sora thought of Riku again and sighed. "You miss him don't you?"

"more than I can put into words."

"I wish I could tell you where he is." Angel looked over at Sora and smirked.

"he misses you too. You should have seen the look in his eyes when I spoke of you."

"then why is he hiding?"

"He doesn't want you to see him as he is now."

"Why not?"

"his body, though he is the sole inhabitant now, would be all to familiar to you."

" You showed me what he looks like already."

"That's not what he looks like now."

"what do you mean?"

"I showed you what he looks like, not what his body looks like."

"Why are you so confusing?"

"I'm very old." Angel stared out over the sea of darkness below and sighed. "We're gonna have to deal with them eventually."

Sora stared out at them as well. "I know. But you'll help us won't you."

"I said we." Angel smirked at Sora.

"I have to go soon, I have to check on Riku. When I come back, I won't be able to tell you a word, so don't even ask. I'm supposed to be protecting him, not you. I just had to set you on the right track. I'll be back as soon as I can." With these words, Angel flickered out, vanishing into thin air.


	10. He Faced The Darkness

Angel stepped toward Riku, the dark world around her trembling at her presence. "Ansem."

He turned fast, facing her.

"Relax, I just came to check on you."

"Angel."

"I know I've changed a lot since I saw you last. It's not safe to talk here, come with me." Angel offered her hand to him. He hesitated, she was standing just as he had, she'd stolen the memory from Sora's mind, and mimicked it, smirking. Riku took her hand a moment later. As he did, they both flickered out.

Angel took them to a peaceful little place, a place where waves rolled against the beach a place that was caught in a state of perpetual night. "I didn't tell him, but he figured it out." Angel muttered as she walked toward the water.

"What?"

"That you love him." Riku glared at her from under his hood.

" there is no way he figured that out on his own."

"I never said he figured it out on his own."

"you helped him."

"I thought it would make your reunion more interesting."

"I hate you." Angel laughed, turning back to face him.

"I thought it might pull you back a little farther."

"I almost want to see him."

"You will. But right now, you need to think about you, and how you are going to survive this."

"Promise me that I will get to be with him."

"I know you will, before this is over, you two will go through quite a bit, together."

" don't tell him where I am. I don't want him to see me like this."

"you've said this before."

"I just want to make sure."

"I won't. but he's bound to get lucky eventually."

"I know."

"Than why do you hide?"

"I don't know."

"You're afraid." Riku nodded, Angel smiled.

"I guess I am." Angel turned back to the water.

"you've changed so much, Angel."

"I suppose you want to know what happened?"

"Yeah."

"I couldn't hold up the charade any more. I showed Sora what I really am, a perfect avatar of the dark, and this is what happened afterward."

"Are you stuck like that?"

"I haven't really tried to change."

"Try." Angel closed her eyes, and began to shift again, into her shadow form. Riku stepped back, her red eyes taking him by surprise.

"Sora saw you like this?"

"Yes." her voice was a shadowed hiss.

"How did he react to that?"

"Much the same way you did. he was cautious but not overly so. I thought he wouldn't trust me, knowing what I was, so I left." Angel phased into the earth, appearing behind Riku and shifting back to the twilight form.

"But I was wrong. He went looking for me." Riku smiled.

"He faced your darkness…"

"He'll be fine with yours too." Angel replied, knowing what he was thinking. She moved back to the water, staring out at it again.

"You should show yourself to him, Riku. Even if you aren't exactly yourself."

"I…"

"You're afraid. You're scared he won't be able to look at you the same way. You're afraid he won't love you, if you look like that."

"yeah."

"your faith in his love is quite weak isn't it?" Riku was silent, considering her words.

"you need to realize that your body has nothing to do with his emotion toward you. I saw his heart, laid out before me. His love for you is pure, more so than any I've seen before. And I've seen a lot."

Riku sighed, stepping up beside her. "where is he?"

" currently, The Land Of Dragons."

" I can't go yet…"

"don't. I want to see what will happen when he does eventually cross your path. There are some things I have to do before that can happen. Things must go as planned. Being apart from him will make you both strong by the time we reach Desmariten. Who has been watching you, by the way. Has anyone been close to you lately, close enough to touch you."

"no. I don't let people close to me."

" his aura's on your skin. He's touched you." Riku stiffened.

"relax, he can choose his form, he could have just been a stray gust of wind, or a housefly. It doesn't necessarily mean anything."

"Still, something that I didn't want near me, touched me and I didn't notice."

"His aura's on Sora's skin as well, mull that around your head for a minute." Riku growled, tensing.

"I'll protect him as well as I can , but I can not kill the wind. I have to return, use that rage you feel, use it to save yourself, protect yourself while I am with Sora, and don't let yourself fall." She took both of them from the hidden world, putting Riku back where he had stood when she'd come to him, returning herself to Sora's side.


	11. Reunion And Parting Again

A Voidwraith lunged at Sora, backing him into a corner, playing with its chosen prey. And as it moved to lunge again, a silver wolf, feathered wings folded against her back, leapt into the space between them, backing the Voidwraith down with a vicious growl. She leapt at it, shredding it in her teeth. Dropping the corpse on the ground she turned to Sora and put her paw on his chest, looking him over. Angel shifted back, not moving away just yet.

" I'm amazed, you're still in one piece, Sora."

"Angel."

" Yeah I'm back."

"There was this man, tall, black hair, he took my friends away."

" Desmariten. So he's taken to doing his own dirty work… Sora, if you ever see them anywhere, tell me immediately, Demariten can do terrible things to a being, bend them to his will. They won't be the same when we find them. IF we find them."

"If?"

" Sometimes, Desmariten's victims never turn up again." at these words, Sora's eyes widened, a sense of loss entered them, and Angel's mind filled with an image, a memory, the first one in a very long time.

"**Sister, where's Mommy?" Angel, young, blonde, naïve, the wisdom in her eyes gone, looked down at an even younger girl, bearing a striking resemblance to Angel. "Melody, Mommy's not coming home." Tears welled up in the younger girls eyes, soon to be mirrored by the tears in Angel's eyes. "Where did she go?" Angel froze for a moment, to choked up to speak. "Mommy went to the next life." Melody broke down, hugging Angel, and the older blonde soon broke as well.**

A tear slipped down Angel's cheek, falling into the dirt beneath her. "Angel, what's wrong?" Sora's innocent voice made her think of Melody and another tear escaped.

"I remembered something. I had a sister once. Her name was Melody. I remembered trying to explain to her that our mother was dead, she had the same look in her eyes that you had just now. I suppose you reminded me…"

" That's not a very happy memory."

"None of them have been. The first memory I recovered, was a memory of fighting in a vicious war, I myself killed at least a hundred men."

"If you had a little sister to look after, why were you a soldier?"

"They were invading our home, I fought to keep them out, to protect Melody." Sora nodded, Angel stood.

"Come on, let's head back to Merlin's I need to inform Riku of what just happened, that you are alone now. And they'll keep you company while I'm gone. Just promise me you won't go out alone. You're to important." Angel took him by the arm and teleported them back to Merlin's house, leaving him there with no explanation, and leaving to find Riku.

"Ansem, something's come up." Riku turned, his eyes cold.

"What?"

"Come with me." She grabbed his wrist and phased, leaving the area for one more secure.

" Desmariten's taken Sora's friends."

"Donald and Goofy?"

"Yeah."

"Damn it."

"I know. We have two options, one of which I don't like, the other you won't like."

"What are they?"

"1: I stay with Sora, non-stop until Desmariten's returned to the void. Which would means I would just have to trust that you haven't gotten yourself in to deep."

"And the other."

"You come back with me, and let me look after both of you, but Sora would see you the way you are now."

"And I don't like that one."

" you always have a choice they're just not always good choices. We have to pick one anyway."

"I don't want him to see me like this." Angel thought for a moment, staring out into the distance.

"Maybe I could help you with that. Fate taught me something, a spell so to speak, that breaks curses. I have to use it to free corrupted agents of fate, provided I can subdue them long enough."

"you think it would turn me back?"

"It might. Give me your arm." Riku did as he was told and Angel took him by the hand, bearing his wrist. A silver knife formed in her hand, and she brought it down on his skin. He cringed as she cut a line of runes into his skin. She muttered a few short, strange words under her breath and the runes began to glow with white energy. Slowly, the light spread and enveloped Riku, and when it faded, he had returned to his true form.

"There, how do you feel?"

" Strange."

" it worked, you're back the way you should be." Riku smiled.

" I guess you're gonna take me back to Sora now?"

"yeah, but not directly, I want you to wait out side for a moment when we get to Merlin's."

"Alright." She took his wrist again, the same one she had cut, and teleported them back to the street outside Merlin's house. Angel smiled and stepped inside.

Sora's eyes turned to her the moment she entered the door. "Sora, I have found a solution to our problem."

"What?"

"He's outside." Angel stepped aside a second before she was trampled as Sora ran outside. Riku stood against the wall beside the door, and pulled Sora into his arms as he passed.

"Riku!"

" Yeah, it's been to long."

"I know. You're staying with us?"

"yes, he is. So I can look after you both." Sora smiled and hugged Riku.

" I missed you so much."

"I know. I missed you too." Angel smiled and slipped inside, leaving them alone.

As soon as Angel left, Riku's embrace became somewhat warmer, and he kissed the top of Sora's head. Sora blushed and pulled away a bit. "Riku."

"What? I know you knew already."

"yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm ready for it yet."

"Sorry."

"don't apologize. I just don't think this is the time for all this, Riku."

"Alright." Riku released Sora, a heartbroken expression on his face.

'Riku, what's wrong?' Angel asked him, her voice ringing through his head.

' he doesn't want me.'

'I see.' Angel sighed and turned her mental voice on Sora.

' you hurt him.'

' I know. But I just…'

'you just don't want to get close to anyone, for fear that they will be used against you. Just like your friends will be. But there's a lot more at stake here then you realize. His love for you is the only thing that has kept Desmariten from taking him over thus far, if you hurt him with that knowledge, that light will go out, and he will fall to Desmariten just like Donald and Goofy undoubtably have.'

'are you saying that if I don't show my love for him now, I'll lose him?'

'exactly.'

Riku, having thought the whole thing through, turned on his heel and raced into the city, leaving Sora behind. Angel raced after him, Sora close behind.


	12. Losing Riku, and Losing Heart

Sadly, by the time the found him, it was to late. Desmariten, wearing a black cloak and a classic Oni mask, held the silver haired boy to him, corrupting him with his very touch.

"Desmariten!" Angel's rage caused her aura to pulse into the air in hot silver waves, forcing Sora to step back.

" You're far to late, Little Angel, I've taken him from you the same way I took Melody."

"Melody." Angel's rage ebbed, Desmariten waved a hand toward her and the block he placed on her memories broke into a thousand pieces. She couldn't handle the mental flood and collapsed unconscious. Desmariten laughed, dropping Riku to the ground, as he assumed the form Angel's spell had freed him from. Sora ran to him, ignoring Angel, trying to wake Riku.

Riku's eyes snapped open and he threw Sora away from him. Angel woke soon after, raising a hand to Riku, binding him in silver chains, subduing him.

"Damn him." Angel muttered as she stood, walking over to grab Riku by his chains.

"Bitch, let me go!"

"And if I don't?"

"I'll kill you." Angel laughed and threw Riku down on the ground.

" Now be a good boy, and behave so I can have a look at you." Sora stepped forward as Angel straddled Riku, she held the palm of her hand over his heart, reading how far in Desmariten's magic had gotten.

" Sora get back, you'll just aggravate him more." Sora looked as if he was going to cry, but stepped away anyway.

"This is my fault." Angel glared death at him.

"Don't ever blame yourself for something Desmariten did. This is not your fault. I never told you what would happen. A second longer and there would have been no saving him, even as it is, I'm not sure I can pull him back. We might have lost him…" At these words, the tears in Sora's eyes slipped free, streaming down his face. Angel pulled Riku up from the ground and pushed him back toward Merlin's house. As he passed Sora, seeing the tears, his form flickered, for a moment he was himself, and then he wasn't again.

" Bitch." He spat at Sora as he passed and was given a stern push, nearly falling over.

"Keep it moving, asshole." Sora followed behind, his eyes down.

"Don't listen to him right now, Sora. He's just trying to hurt you." Sora did not respond, keeping silent, and following behind Angel.

Back at Merlin's, Riku lay strapped to a table in the center of a room Sora hadn't even known existed. Angel stood on one side of the table, Merlin on the other and together they set to painting the necessary runes onto Riku's skin. The ink they used was a mixture of Angel's blood, and that of a newborn lamb, a dark red in color, it gave a startling contrast to the color of his skin. He spewed profanities while they worked, trying to make them stop.

" Oh, Shut up!" Angel screamed, having had her fill of abuse, she waved a hand over Riku's mouth and no matter how hard he tried, there was no sound. "Better."

Sora stood at the head of the table, running his fingers through Riku's hair trying hard not to cry.

"Sora, get some rest, it's late."

"I don't want to leave him, Angel."

"She's right you know." Merlin chimed in and Sora sighed, leaving the room.

The next morning screams could be heard from the room, and Sora entered to find that the runes on Riku's skin burned with red light, and his skin was covered with the darkness being drawn from him. Angel returned to the table and placed a small white stone in the center of his chest, the black energy filled the stone and it burst from it in a bolt of black lightening, striking the crystal that hung from the ceiling, leaving the energy trapped inside.

"Sora. Don't get to close to him. This particular type of dark energy arcs like electricity, we don't want it arcing to you." Angel ushered him out of the room, Merlin following behind. She shut the door and locked it.

"Why is he screaming like that?" Sora asked, confused.

"Well, according to Merlin, this spell feels something like having your soul ripped from your body." Sora's eyes widened.

"Why would you do that to him?"

"We were up all night trying to get at least some small piece of the dark out of him, but nothing worked. Then we tried this and it seems to be working, it's gonna take a long time to finish though, Desmariten poured a lot of unnatural darkness into him to make him like that."

"But it's hurting him."

"I know that but if I deaden his nerves, the darkness won't be able to flow. I can't do anything about the pain."

"But he's-"

"no buts, Sora, unless you want to end up in there with him, a suggest you keep out of that room. You don't want to end up like that do you?" Sora froze, a tear trailed down his cheek and he shook his head.

"Riku's strong, he'll be fine, just the second all that dark is out of him. That room is going to turn into a giant lightening rod, and none of us are going to be able to get in there to check on him. I should do something about his voice though. If he keeps screaming like this he isn't going to have one." Angel turned and walked back into the room. Riku went silent, and Angel emerged from the room, sighing and closeing the door.

" That should do it."

"Angel, I'm worried about him."

"I know, Sora." Angel threw her arm around his shoulders, ushering him away from the door.

" He'll be fine. You know what." Angel waved a hand toward the door and a section became as glass, transparent.

"If you want to check on him, look through that. When he reverts to his true form, the spell will be complete and I want you to get me or Merlin, we'll know what to do." Sora ran to the door, staring through the window and Angel waved a hand at the door, locking it to all but her and Merlin. She moved across the room, sitting against the wall, setting to the meditation that had replaced sleep long ago.

Hours passed, and still there was no change in Riku's condition, the dark still flowed from him, he still convulsed in pain, and Sora still watched. Angel felt a familiar blue energy at the edge of her senses, someone she'd wanted to see. She stood and slipped from the house, unnoticed. She faded into a shadow and stalked toward the energy she'd felt.

"I knew you were around here somewhere, Cloud." Angel muttered materializing in front of him.

"what do you want?"

"I wanted to thank you, for helping me."

" I owed you."

"You didn't owe me anything, we settled that debt a long time ago. The first time I passed through here."

"You remember."

"yeah, Desmariten gave it back to me. All of it. And it only makes me hate him more. I'm sure you know the feeling."

"Yeah."

"Have you seen the bastard lately?"

"which one?"

"your bastard, I know where mine is."

"No. if I had…"

"I know. I saw him a couple days ago, with Desmariten."

"Damn."

" Wouldn't it just be wonderful if they killed each other." Cloud nodded.

"What the hell have you been up to, Angel?"

"the usual, hunting shadows in the dark. Fate's taken an interest in you, I hear."

"Really."

"Looks like you'll be joining me someday, in the ranks of Fate's lackeys."

"sounds like a pain in the ass."

"I can be fun from time to time."

"How's your girlfriend?"

"She's doing well, Fate's keeping her out of trouble for me."

"How did you convince her to do that?"

"Volunteered to chase shadows in the dark. Then Desmariten broke out, and I volunteered to round him back up."

"Sounds like fun."

"doesn't it, anyway, are you busy?"

"I suppose not, why?"

"Well, I was hoping we could do something. I don't know when I'll be back here. It'd be good to have a pleasant memory of you."

"What did you have in mind?"

" I don't know, lets get ice cream or something."

"Alright." Angel took Cloud's arm and teleported them both to Twilight Town, where she had first entered the world.

" Come on. I know the perfect place." She smiled and drug him into town.


	13. Riku Awakes

After another couple hours angel returned to Merlin's house, finding that the door she had locked was open and Merlin and Sora stood inside, tending to Riku, who was, at the moment, unconscious. When Sora saw Angel he smiled at her, beckoning for her to enter. "Where were you?"

" Spending some time with an old friend." Sora brushed a strand of Riku's silver hair out of his face, still smiling.

"He reverted. I wonder how much he'll remember." Merlin muttered, wiping the runes from Riku's body with a damp cloth.

" I hope he doesn't remember." Sora replied, his eyes hadn't left Riku's face since he'd been allowed into the room.

"Why?"

"He said some horrible things to me. If he remembers, then he'll feel guilty, and he's done enough of that…"

" That's really sweet, Sora."

" It's just that, he's hurt himself over it all…"

"You saw the scars. Sora, I made him promise me that he would never do that again."

"But he didn't even tell me."

"He wasn't with us very long before Desmariten got him, he fully intended to."

"How would you know?" Sora's eyes locked on Angel's.

'The very same way I knew he loved you, Sora. I can get in his head just like I can get in yours. Calm down, I know you're worried.' Sora sighed as her voice rang through his head and turned his eyes back to Riku.

Merlin smiled. "I wish I was telepathic."

"Comes in handy sometimes."

"Here, help me get this off him."

"Eww, but its blood." Merlin and Angel indulged in a laugh and set to work again.

When Riku's skin was free of the runes and the bindings that held him to the table, Angel carried him into the main part of the house, laying him in Merlin's bed. "When he wakes, get me Sora. I'll need to check on him."

"Alright." Angel found herself a book to read and settled into the corner she had claimed.

Riku's eyes slid open, and the first thing he saw was Sora smiling down at him. Sora called Angel over, not looking away. She entered Riku's field of vision and laid a hand on his chest. "The only darkness in him now, is his own. He'll be fine."

Angel turned and removed herself, and the other occupants of the house from it, offering to take them all out for ice cream, her treat. Sora smiled, blushing.

" What happened, Sora?"

"Desmariten corrupted you."

"Oh. How long has it been?"

"A couple days, they were trying so hard to fix you, neither Angel or Merlin has slept since."

"For me."

"Yeah." Sora blushed more, before leaning down to kiss Riku's lips. Riku smiled up at him when they parted.

" If you love me too, and Angel wasn't lying to me, why did you pull away from me?"

"I just didn't think this was the best time for this…"

"I'm not gonna get hurt."

"I know." Riku sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. Sora stood, moving away, as Riku stood. His head spun and he fell into Sora's arms.

" Don't hurt yourself, you're still recovering." Sora muttered, setting him down on the bed.

"Recovering from what?"

"Angel and Merlin's spell. They forcibly dragged Desmariten's darkness out of you."

"Sounds painful."

"You screamed. So much so that Angel silenced you to keep you from losing your voice. I could barely watch…" Riku pulled Sora to him, his eyes full of love for him.

"I'm fine now."

"I know. Angel was right."

"What did she say?"

"She said that you were strong and you could handle the pain…"

"How kind of her." Riku kissed Sora's lips, savoring every second of his company. Something struck the door and Sora turned toward it, his Keyblade appearing a split second after.

"What was that?" Riku asked, standing and creeping toward the window. Outside the door, a small girl stood, her hair was black as midnight, thought her eyes were the same shade of blue that Angel's had been when she arrived. She wore a torn black dress and a fearsome expression as she picked up another of the steel beams and threw it at the door. In a burst of silver light, Angel appeared, slicing the beam in half with her claws.

"Stand down, child." Angel yelled at her, the girl picked up another beam.

"Never." Her voice sounded strange, like she was singing, though it had a dark sinister note to it. She hurled the beam at Angel, who simply tossed it aside.

"I warned you!" Angel leapt at the girl, tackling her over the ledge she stood on and out of sight.

At the end of the fall, the pair lay on the stone shore of a sea of heartless, where Desmariten waited.

"Don't you recognize her, Angel? You should." Then Desmariten vanished, as he seems to have developed the tendency to do. Angel looked down at the girl, who simply laughed at her, and remembered. Remebered the sweet, innocent child this girl had been.


	14. Recovering Her History

"M-Melody."

"Aria, how have you been?" the corrupted child whispered before sinking her teeth into Angel's neck. Angel forced her away with a burst of her aura, leaping over the wall as the child laughed.

Angel stumbled through the door to Merlin's house, holding her neck as blood gushed from the pierced vein. She collapsed just inside the door, the loss of blood finally getting to her. Sora and Riku rushed to her side, Sora putting pressure on the wound, while Riku went to find Merlin.

Angel's eyes opened slowly, her vision coming into focus nearly a minute later. "Where am I?"

Riku's voice answered her from somewhere beyond her blurry sight. "Merlin's. He just barely saved you."

"What happened?"

"You passed out from blood loss. Merlin said something bit the vein in your neck out."

"Bit me?"

"Yeah, do you remember what it was?"

"Melody."

"Melody?" Sora stepped into her sight, a confused expression on his face.

"Why would she?"

"Desmariten corrupted her, beyond saving, the only way to save what's left of her soul, is to kill her." Riku leaned over her as well.

" Why didn't you?"

" I hesitated…" Merlin's voice now, from the other side of the room.

"How do you feel, Angel?"

"Aria, my name was Aria. Melody called me that."

"How do you feel?"

"Dizzy and my vision won't focus."

"I see." A delicious smell filled the room and Riku propped Angel up into a sitting position as Merlin brought over a bowl of soup.

" This smells good, what is it?"

"Beef in a soup base of it's own blood. With some potatoes." Angel smiled, and took a bite.

" This is pretty good."

"If you're fond of the taste of blood."

"I am." Angel finished the first bowl and the second Merlin brought to her, then drifted off into a restless sleep.

She woke to the sound of battle outside the house and swung herself out of bed, ripping the bandages off her neck, and racing outside, sword and claws at the ready. A small contingent of Shadows, led by Melody was engaged in battle with Sora and Riku, who had been standing guard at the time. Angel charged Melody, slashing at her with her claws."Hello, Sister, did you sleep well?"

"Very, thank you." Angel swung her sword at the girl, who dodged with ease. Sora smiled when he saw Angel up and fighting, though the look in her eyes scared him. She growled as she thrust her sword through the girl's black heart.

"Aria, why would you do this to me?"

"To save your soul." Angel twisted the sword in her chest, watching as the dark dissipated, leaving the shell of a beautiful blonde child behind. Angel drew her sword from her chest, then lowered her to the ground.

"I'm sorry I let him do that to you, sis. I loved you, and he used that against me." Angel closed the girl's eyes, then touched her lips, at this touch the shell burned to ash. A tear trailed down Angel's cheek. Desmariten clapped his hands, he'd been watching from a nearby shadow.

"Brilliant performance, Angel, absolutely brilliant." Angel's mood turned to rage in a second.

"You'll pay for this, Bastard!" she sprinted toward him, but he was gone. Angel fell to her knees, rage flowing through her. She drove her fist into the stone she sat on, leaving a crater where she made contact. She stood, locking her rage away, and snapped her fingers. A pack of cigarettes was in her hand a moment later. She opened the box, took a lighter and a cigarette from it and sighed.

"old habits die hard I guess." She muttered as she lit the cigarette and took a long drag on it, tucking the pack and lighter into a pocket in her dress. Sora walked up behind her, cautious.

"Angel, are you okay?"

"I'm fine Sora." She turned to face him, taking another hit off her cigarette.

"Want a hit?"

"I don't smoke." Riku smiled, wrapping his arm around Sora's waist.

"Of course you don't, I want a hit, Angel." She smiled and handed him her pack.

"just have your own." Riku smiled, took a cigarette, lit it, and handed Angel her pack.

" Thanks. I haven't had one in a long time."

"I know." She tucked the pack away, returning to Merlin's house.

"we're leaving soon, enjoy the time you have to yourselves." Angel stalked off into the house, gathering the things she'd left there.

With that finished, she returned to where she'd left Sora and Riku. Riku had Sora pinned to the wall, kissing the blushing brunette with a passion neither had seen him exhibit before. "You two are gonna make me miss my girlfriend." Riku turned one eye on her, flipped her off, and focused his attention on Sora again.

" come on, you can make out when this is over with." Riku turned to her, letting Sora catch his breath.

"do you even know where he is?" Angel paused.

"no, but I'll never know if I don't look."

" Don't rush into this."

"I can take him."

"Angel, I know what he can do."

"You think you know better then me?" Angel's voice became dangerous, Riku had hit her nerve.

"I've felt that darkness."

"I've known that bastard since the dawn of time."

"Has that dark ever been inside you? Have you ever felt it flow through you? Do you know what it feels like?" Angel broke here, hesitating. Riku stepped forward.

"I held only a fraction of his power, and felt like I was going to burst with it, like I was a lightening rod or something. I could have destroyed this city in a matter of minutes. If you rush into this, me and Sora will have to kill him ourselves."

"I guess you're right. Fine, do what you will, I'm going elsewhere." Angel turned and walked into the city. She paused, looked down at herself and snapped her fingers. Her silver dress became black jeans and a red shirt.

"That's better."

"Leave the bottle." Angel muttered, throwing back another shot of vodka. The barkeeper shrugged and turned, attending to his glasses again. Angel sighed. Looking around the bar, it wasn't empty by any means, in fact they were probably violating the fire code, but that just meant the pickings were better. Angel downed half the bottle, paid the barkeep for the rest of it, and jumped up on the bar.

"Alright, listen up, I wanna fight, who's up for a round or two?" A woman in the back of the bar smiled and threw the ashtray on her table at Angel, who, even drunk, dodged with ease.

"I'll fight." The crowd parted, and Angel jumped down off the bar, strutting toward her opponent. Angel's eyes flashed a catlike green, and the woman took a swing at her. Angel let it connect, felt her lip split, then repaid the punch by breaking the girl's cheekbone. Laughing when the girl fell.

"Don't step up if you aren't gonna put up a decent fight." The girl launched herself from the floor, throwing both herself and Angel against the bar, Swinging down on her face, Angel felt her nose break. With a growl, she threw the woman off her, pinning her to a table and pounded her face into the wood, breaking the table with her face. Angel let the woman fall and stood up straight, smiling to herself.

"I'm Angel."

"Tifa."

"I wasn't expecting to find a decent brawl here but I guess I was wrong." Angel offered the woman a hand, smiling when she took it. Angel pulled Tifa to her feet, leaning against the bar to wipe the blood off her face.

"Let me buy you a drink, Tifa."

"Alright." Angel smiled at the barkeeper.

"Vodka double." Angel and Tifa said at the same time. They laughed and Angel found her bottle from earlier.

"Awesome." Angel muttered downing the other half of the bottle in one go.

"You drank that yourself?"

"Yep."

"And you can still fight."

"Yep."

"Respect."

"Thanks. I know you don't I?"

"Probably."

"You're one of Cloud's friends right?"

"Guess you could say that."

"Interesting response, you're not telling me something."

"I can't really call him my friend, I haven't seen him in a couple years now."

"He's around here somewhere. I saw him yesterday."

"So I am in the right place."

"I can point you in the right direction if you trust me."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know yet but if you come with me, I'll be able to tell you."

"How?"

"Well, I can't do it here, because of the noise, but if I find a quiet place and meditate for a moment, I might be able to locate him. But you'll have to trust me."

"Alright." Angel bought the bottle they'd been drinking and another and led Tifa to the quietest place she could find, the roof of a building on the other side of town. Angel settled down, sitting Indian-style on the tiles. With a deep breath she closed her eyes and her Aura sight flicked into play, looking out over the city, she spotted a flash of blue, Cloud's aura, and singled it out, reading the auras of the things around him, she created an image of his location.

'There he is, go make nice now, Tifa.' She added as she planted the image in Tifa's mind, watching as the girl chased the image in her head.

Angel returned to Merlin's house, smiling, a bottle in each hand.

"Well don't you look like a drunk?" Riku called from the roof.

"Bite me. Want some?"

"What is it?"

"Vodka."

"Sure." Riku jumped down from the roof, smirking when he saw Angel's split lip.

"What happened to you?"

"Bar fight."

"Did you win?"

"Last one standing. As always."

"Sora's in bed already, apparently he didn't sleep well last night, worried about me."

"Are you sure you're allowed to drink?"

"He won't tell me I can't, well, as long as I don't wake him up or get to violent."

"If you get violent, remember I'm always up for a fight." Riku smiled and took a massive swig from the bottle.

"Respect. Considering your age, you drink like a pro."

"Thanks."

" Then again, this body is younger than yours."

"But you used to be an army girl right?"

"Yeah, damn… that's the first time I've remembered a memory attached to a memory."

"And what did you remember?" I remembered this time, we'd just sent the invaders from our home, and me and the boys went to this tavern to celebrate, and the barkeep was determined to get us all wasted, so he only charged us for a few drinks, then gave it to us, copious amounts of alcohol, until we were so drunk that we paired off with the nurses, and oh my gods, what I did to that girl."

"I did not need to know that."

"Oh shut up, it's not like it's a bad image, I was just as pretty than as I am now, older though."

"How old?"

"I was 27."

"I have to admit, you sound pretty hot."

" I thought you didn't like girls." she teased taking the bottle from him and taking another generous swig.

" I'm bi." Riku replied, quickly reclaiming the bottle from Angel.

"You really love him don't you?"

"Where did that come from?"

"I was just thinking. About what would happen to the two of you if you broke up."

"And what do you think would happen?"

"You'd both be broken, you'd get all suicidal again, and Sora would get more careless than he already is."

"We'd die."

"You'd get pulled into Desmariten's darkness before you died, and used as a weapon against Sora. You'd end up killing him, just because Desmariten told you to, and the guilt would kill you."

" I could never hurt him. I can't even raise a hand to him anymore."

"You let him win, didn't you? When you fell the first time."

"I had to, I couldn't kill him. I couldn't hurt him like that. I looked him in the eyes…."

"You loved him then?"

"I loved him before this started, back when we were just kids on our island. Of course he didn't know that then."

"I know, he thought you wanted Kairi." Riku shook his head, smiling.

"It was never about her, it was never about saving her, I was angry at Sora, I felt abandoned." Angel smiled, laying a hand on Riku's shoulder.

"I know, and I would have felt the same way, you were used to having every second of his day at your disposal, then he ran off the save the world and you got left behind. I can't say I would have done the same, but I can understand why you did it."

"I'll never have to be without him again."

"No. He's dreaming about you…"

"Dreaming what about me?"

"I think he wants you to hold him. You saved him from something, and the emotion in that dream…" Riku smiled, handed Angel her bottle, and returned to the house. Angel smiled, taking another drink.


	15. You're Not Going Alone

The next morning was a little more difficult for Angel, her head throbbed and she groaned, pulling herself to her feet.

"Rough night, Angel." Leon called from the other room.

"Shut up." She growled, stumbling into the room.

"That's a yes."

" So what?"

"I heard you went to the bar last night."

"And? I'm allowed."

"Aren't you underage?"

"Oh please, if 3000 is underage, no one would ever drink."

"How'd you convince the bar of that?"

"I altered my appearance before I went in." Leon smirked at her, turning to face her. "Shut up, like you wouldn't have."

"True." Angel picked her bottle, the one from last night, now more than half gone, up from the table. She downed it in one gulp, sighing at the warmth in her veins.

"Drinking again?"

"Nothing better for a hangover." Leon smirked again.

" I have to start looking for Desmariten."

"That doesn't sound like you."

"I know I usually run headlong into everything. But this time, I have to go about it a different may. The bastard knows me to well, if I try to chase him down the same way I always do, I'll never catch him."

Leon turned to her. "Seems like you have a big problem with that bastard."

"I do. I hate him on a level I never thought I could hate someone. I just want him to die so badly." Angel's hand's curled into fists; she shook with rage, eyes turning crimson from it.

"Calm down, Angel, raging at him now isn't going to do anyone a damn bit of good. And you have to look after those two."

"Where are they?"

"They ran off a while ago, I don't know where they went."

"Great." Angel turned and left the house, searching for Riku and Sora.

When she found them, she sighed; they were fine, watching the clouds together on a rooftop. "I wish you two would tell someone before you run off."

Riku smiled at her, standing. "Blame me, it was my idea."

"I do blame you, and I always will."

"Oh, Angel." Something called from the ground. She looked over the edge, seeing two corrupted agents of fate and Desmariten, with his hands on their shoulders.

"I brought you a present, friends of yours I believe?" both of the corrupted beings had been her friends in the void, and she growled as she leapt from the roof, her sword appearing in her hand, claws on the other. The corrupted beings ran at her and she fought them both, moving so quickly that neither could land a strike, fighting as if she were three people at once. Angel closed her eyes, sensing the core of the darkness within each of the beings and cut them from their bodies.

"Care to dance, Desmariten?"

"Always." Desmariten revealed his true form, a small, dark haired teenage boy, his eyes glowing red and drew a sword from his belt. Angel attacked first, and was blocked, but she recovered quickly, striking again. This time she managed to land her strike, slicing Desmariten's leg and crippling it. He stumbled back and Angel was on him again, crippling his sword arm and thrusting her sword through his chest.

"You've improved since last time, Angel."

"Thanks bastard." As she moved to cut his head from his shoulders, he became mist and vanished on the wind.

"Coward!" She yelled into the air, still pissed at him.

"Sora, Riku. Come here." They obeyed her this time, jumping from the roof, to walk to her side.

"He can't come to near to you in his physical forms, Sora. If you two stay together, you'll be fine."

"Why can't he come near me?" Angel turned to face them.

"The same reason that summoning light weapons burns my hands. He can't stand the light inside you." Angel took her dark form and laid a hand on Sora's arm. When she pulled her hand away, there was a burn on her palm; blood flowed from it in a slow trickle down her arm.

"Your heart is so bright, Sora. That you act as repellant to strong darkness. I might be able to teach you how to channel it, but that's a conquest for another time. Riku, if you stay by his side, you'll be safe from him as well. I'm going after him, he's bound to have a base of operation somewhere, and I'm going to find it. I'll chase him from this place if it's the last thing I ever do. And when I get him where I want him, I'll kill him. I'll make him pay for everything he's done to me." She simply vanished, leaving nothing but her blood on the stone as evidence of her presence.

"We need to find her, Sora. I know that look to well." Riku was worried, visibly.

"What look?"

"That look in her eyes, that's the same look I had when the dark took me."

"You think we'll lose her if we let her go alone?"

"Yes. We need to find her."

"You're right." Within Sora, Roxas heard his words, and from somewhere within him, worry forced him to call for Angel. And as she had promised to him, she appeared at his call, shaking her head as she appeared beside Riku.

"Worrying about me already?"

"Angel, we're going with you. We can't afford to lose you to the dark either." Riku stated plainly, his voice making it quite clear that there was no talking him out of this.

"Fine, if you're really so worried about me that you called me."

"We didn't call you." Sora replied, Angel sighed.

"Part of you did, a part I made a promise to before you woke up. His name's Roxas, and I promised to answer his call, no matter how far away I was, no matter what I was doing. And I promised to give him a life of his own when this was over. Him and another we may meet along the way."

"There's another person inside me?"

"Yes. And he's a very sweet boy, though he does have a bit of an attitude. Don't worry though, if he can still call me, you aren't relying on him to much, so I'll be able to separate you painlessly."

"Can you do it now?"

"I could, but you would lose some of your strength. And we can't have that now; you'll need time to adapt to the weakness. And time is something we don't have. We don't know the condition the other worlds are in right now. Just the one I was in, Halloween Town, is infested with Desmariten's goons."

"We have to save them, Jack and Sally…"

"I know, they're fine for now, I moved them both out of harms way, the goons were hunting them exclusively, which means Desmariten knows who your friends are."

"How?" Riku asked, wondering just how long Desmariten had been around.

"It's not a good sign, he took the information from Donald and Goofy, if it took him this long to start hunting your friends, they wouldn't talk. Which means that he spent this time torturing them, then gave up and ripped the information from their minds. If they're alive, they aren't in their right minds anymore. At this point I'm sure we won't run into them, they're in his dungeon, if not in the ground, and they've lost their minds. It wouldn't surprise me a damn bit to find them talking to themselves in a corner somewhere. And that is damage I can't repair…" Angel took Sora's hand, grabbing Riku's in the other and took them all into Halloween Town.


	16. Chaseing Shadows In The Dark

Upon arrival Angel gave them both a smile, her clothes had changed. She wore a small purple top and a tight black leather skirt, with purple demon wings folded against her back. "What are you?" Sora asked, surprised at the costume.

"A succubus. Looks like Riku's a wolfie." Riku had silver wolf ears poking up through his hair, a matching tail poked out through his jeans. He had little silver claws on his fingertips, and his canine teeth had been sharpened into fangs. His eyes were a bright wolf yellow. He smiled at Sora, running a clawed hand over his hair.

" Aww, a vampire and a werewolf." Angel said sarcastically, Riku's ear turned toward a sound even Angel had not heard.

"Someone screamed, sounded like a girl." Riku ran toward the sound, Angel and Sora close behind. Angel spread her wings and in one giant beat, was airborne. She soared over Sora's head, smiling.

"Want to fly with me?" Sora nodded and Angel grabbed him, closing her arms around his ribs and pulled him into the air with her.

"Tell me if you get scared, Sora."

"I won't get scared."

"If you do." She took him up higher, clearing the tops of the trees, watching Riku run beneath them.

Riku skid to a stop in front of the building Angel had stashed Jack and Sally in. Angel swooped down, dropping Sora and landing in front of the door. She lifted the seal she had placed on it and kicked the door open, finding Desmariten inside. Jack and Sally sat, bound, in the corner. Angel smiled at him.

"Back for more already, Desi, I thought I'd taught you a lesson." Angel rushed him and he vanished into thin air, appearing behind her. She grinned and the straw on the floor of the barn formed a noose around his throat, hanging him from the rafters.

"Your turn, Sora." The brunette stepped toward him and Desmariten began to scream, the light within Sora burning his flesh. He became black mist and vanished. Angel laughed as she untied Jack and Sally.

"Are you two okay?" Sora asked as they stood.

"I'm fine, but who is that?" Jack asked pointing at Riku.

"That's Riku. I told you about him."

"You were looking for him last I knew."

"Yeah, Angel found him for me." Angel smiled. Riku couldn't resist anymore, and moved to Sora, wrapping his arms around him from behind, pressing his lips to Sora's neck.

"So that's why you were searching for him."

"Yeah. He didn't know that though."

"He did after I got here. The first time I spoke to you, that was a test, to see how much you cared for him." Angel threw in from the other side of the room, where she was leaning against the wall.

"You told him?" Sora blushed.

"Yeah, I had to, to get him to pull himself back from the dark enough for me to leave him alone long enough to make sure you continued on your destined path. It was a necessary betrayal." Sora blushed more, the thought that Angel had known before Riku had, and been at his side the whole time…

"It's alright, Sora. Angel told me that my love for you helped her put me back in my own body. If she hadn't told me, I'd still be the monster the dark made me into." Sora smiled, twisting in Riku's arms to kiss him.

The sound of an explosion rattled the barn and Riku and Sora jumped out of their skins. Angel laughed, then ran to the door beckoning for them to follow her.

"Come on, Desi's up to no good again. You too, Sally, you'll be safer with us." She nodded and they ran into Halloween town together.

Desmariten stood in the town center, watching as his minions, once the denizens of Halloween town, wreaked havoc upon their former home. Angel summoned a light weapon, a bow, and handed it to Sora.

"Shoot them with this, it might purify them."

"Might?" "It's a better shot then killing them." Sora nodded and took aim at the first one the corrupted. He let the arrow fly, and when it struck his target, the dark fled their body and they collapsed.

"Alright so that works…" Angel summoned a beautiful white sword, and lunged at Desmariten. There was a small fight, but as soon as Angel cut him, he retreated, hissing as the light burned him. Angel dropped her sword, it vanished on contact and she closed her hand to hide the burn. She turned to see Sora shoot the last corrupted civilian. They fell and he smiled at her. She walked over to him, still keeping her hand hidden, though blood ran from between her fingers, dripping on the stone.

"You don't have to hide that burn from me, Angel. I know already."

"Sorry. Force of habit." She opened her hand and blood fell freely from the wound. Sora took her hand, knowing he couldn't burn her in this form.

"This one's worse then the last."

"I put a lot of force into fighting with that bastard. But I can't seal his ability to flee. Until I can, I won't be able to kill him."

"Does this hurt, Angel?"

"Yeah, but I'm a tough bitch." Sora laughed though he was still worried about Angel.

"Would wearing gloves stop this from happening?" Riku asked, watching her.

"I don't know I've never tried it."

" It's just crazy enough to work."

"I think I have a way to test it…" She took her shadow form again, pulling the sleeve of her dress down and pressing the cloth to Sora. There was no pain, no smell of burning skin and when she pulled her arm away, and raised her sleeve, there was no mark on the skin under it.

"Apparently it will work. There's not a mark on me." Angel assumed her normal form, and turned to assess the damage to the town.

"Doesn't look like he was here long before we got here. I'll put a seal on the place, then we'll leave, onto the next one."

"Seal?"

"To keep Desi's darkness out of here." White light spread from Angel's feet, wrapping around the buildings and the people, covering the ground, and then it simply sank into the ground. "There, let's go."

"Where too?" Riku asked, looking around him. A small gold coin fell to the ground between Angel and Riku. She bent to pick it up, frowning at it.

"The Land Of Dragons. I recognize this." She tossed the coin to Sora. His eyes widened as he realized what it was.

"Mulan's Medallion."

"She's in trouble. Come." She grabbed them both and dragged them through her shadow portal, taking them into the Land Of Dragons.

Desmariten stood, in his true form, waiting for them. "Seems you got my message. You'll be looking for that woman… Mulan was it? I've hidden her away in a dragon's den. The beast seems rather taken with my offering. I think you'll have a hard time convincing him to part with her." Desmariten vanished and Angel turned to Riku and Sora.

" You guys up to slay a dragon?" they nodded and she left the bamboo grove.

The dragon's den was hidden in the side of a mountain and the climb up to it was fraught with icy cliffs and Desmariten's minions. Angel had indulged in a pair of black leather gloves in the village below. She pulled herself up the final ledge, seeing the red-eyed dragon looking back at her. She spoke in a serpentine language, approaching the cave as Riku pulled Sora up behind her. The dragon replied in the same language and Angel smiled, speaking back to him as the dragon pushed his head to her hand. He spoke again and she beckoned Sora nearer. As the brunette drew near, the dragon grew uneasy.

"Sora, shoot him, Desi corrupted him, he's fighting, but it's hard." Sora drew back on his bow, and the dragon began to thrash, tossing his head against the stone walls. Angel calmed him, speaking to him in his own language, and Sora loosed the bolt of light, and the dragon roared as he turned from black to red and shank to a size smaller that the average hatchling. Mulan rushed from the darkness of the cave, grabbing up Mushu.

"Are you alright, Mulan?"

"Yeah, who was that guy?" Angel crossed her arms, lowering her eyes, her tone dangerous.

" His name's Desmariten. I've been hunting him for a very long time."

"You seem familiar with his tricks."

"I should hope so, I've been after him for 3000 years, and another couple thousand Cycles."

"Cycles?"

"The unit of time in the void. It's how long it takes for the void to go from dark to light. Each one is a couple thousand years to itself."

"How can you have been alive that long?"

"I've already lived and died, before I became what you see before you. I have experienced many deaths, most at Desmariten's hands." Mulan looked at Angel, confused as to how this creature that looked so human, could be so… inhuman.

"I never thought I'd see you with a bow, Sora."

"Angel gave it to me. Told me that I could use it to purify the people Desmariten corrupted."

"It seems to work pretty well. What was that language you were speaking, Angel?"

"That's language the ancient dragons in your world speak, the dragon's old language, before it became the language you speak today."

"And Mushu knew it?"

"The only way to corrupt dragons is by using the spirit of an ancient black dragon. Even then, it doesn't completely overshadow the dragon's original spirit. Desmariten was hoping I wouldn't know that."

"He doesn't seem to know you as well as you know him."

"He doesn't. I keep my thoughts to myself, so to speak. We should get out of here; it's a long way down. And I can't take four of us down with my powers, I don't have the strength."

"Right."

At the village at the foot of the mountain, they all sat together in an inn, warming themselves and discussing their next move. "You've been chasing him through the worlds with no real idea where to go next?" Mulan asked, meeting Angel's violet eyes.

"Yes, he doesn't have a pattern. If I knew what he knew, I could find him with ease. But I don't know how long he's been watching Sora and I have no way of knowing what he took from Donald and Goofy's minds. I'm in the dark here, so to speak. And I've no idea where to go." Angel shook her head, ordering another drink.

"It seems like you guys are in a pretty tight spot. If I had a way to get in contact with you…"

Angel spoke up. "I'm telepathic, if you'll allow me a moment to get acquainted with your mind, you'll be able to call me."

"Alright." Angel closed her eyes, finding her way into Mulan's mind, establishing the link that would keep them in constant contact with each other. "Done, think my name, and we'll be here."

"Alright."

"I already did the same with Jack and Sally, they'll call me if they find anything out. Can you think of anyone else?"

"Merlin?"

"Already got him too."

"I don't know then."

"I have an idea, back to Hollow Bastion." She grabbed the boys over the table, dragging them away.


	17. Black Angel Wings

As soon as they arrived, Angel ran off into the city by herself. She tore a path through the city, racing toward the highest point in the city, settling down to search for Cloud. As soon as she felt him, she raced from the roof again, leaping off the side, landing in one piece at the bottom, leaving a crater in the ground beneath her.

Cloud had hidden himself in a part of Hollow Bastion that few had ever seen before, The Slums. It was a long abandoned place, overrun with strange creatures, all of which seemed hostile to most humans. Angel stalked through the almost jungle like overgrowth, certain something was hunting her as well. She saw him, surrounded by the strange beasts she was avoiding, though they encircled him, they did not seem hostile, sitting in the shade, panting softly. "Cloud."

"Angel, or rather Aria."

"You heard bout that."

"I saw that."

"I've recovered my memory, Cloud." He turned to her, meeting her eyes for the first time.

"I owe you, Cloud."

"You do?"

"Yes, you saved my life, twice."

"You must have some other reason to come all this way to see me."

"Yes. I told you, about the man I'm hunting."

"Desmariten."

"He's here. I know you get around, Cloud."

"You want me to help."

"In a detached way."

"What?"

"I want to touch your mind, Cloud. So you'll be able to call me if you see something weird. Something that seems out of the ordinary."

"You know I don't like you being in my head."

"I know. And I wouldn't ask if I could think of another way. I have no clue where he is, or who he's hurting. I made a promise, Cloud."

"To who?"

"My girlfriend. I promised her I wouldn't let anyone from this place get hurt."

"Fine, but just this one time." Angel smiled at him.

"Thank you." She closed her eyes, touching Cloud's mind, something she hadn't done in a very long time.

"Call to me if you see something wrong."

"I will."

"I will pay my debts to you. It's just a matter of time." Angel vanished, a distant look in her violet eyes.

'Go to Merlin's, Riku. I'll meet you there.' She called out to him, touching his mind then closed hers off, stepping into Merlin's house.

"Merlin, I need to do some research."

"On what, Angel?"

"I need a way to seal shape shifting and teleportation. I need to be able to keep Desmariten in one place long enough to kill him." A book floated over to her and she opened it, taking the old tome in gentle hands.

"Your care for my books is impressive."

"Knowledge is more valuable than all the gold of the kings, to lose it, or worse to abuse it, is the highest crime." Merlin smiled at her, watching as she read each word in the book with great care, memorizing every detail.

"That's a rare point of view these days, it seems."

" That's a very sad thing, Merlin. I try to learn a new trick in every place I visit, whether it be a new spell, or a sword technique, I always take a little piece of new knowledge with me into the Void."

"Why is it called that? It's such a displeasing name." Angel smiled, turning the page.

"There's very little there, people are naught but spirits, so there is no need for shelters or farms. Fate has a palace, and the prison is on the other side of the Void. But aside from that, there is nothing. What's worse is many of the beings within the void, don't do missions like I do. They'll be lucky if they get one assignment every cycle."

"How long is a cycle?"

"Two or three thousand years, your time. Far longer than I would ever care to be there. Fate divides us into teams from time to time, usually no more than five, and the teams are permanent, Fate never splits up a team. The oldest team, the one that was sent here when this place was created, to lock the heartless away, is called Gemini. It consists of two members, twin brothers, one with fire abilities, and the other with ice. My rank just surpassed theirs; they rank fourth in the Void. I'm second now, second only to Fate."

"And they sent you here."

"To kill Desmariten, the Void's most dangerous criminal."

"You hate him don't you?"

"He cost me my rank, a long time ago."

"How?"

"He sealed my memories, without my mind, I couldn't fight, I spent four cycles learning how to fight again. My rank dropped from two to 167th in one day."

"Do you think that contributed to your love for knowledge?"

"Yes. When I was human, in my first life, I was a soldier. I didn't give a damn about thought or knowledge, all I valued was strength. When I died, I was shown the error of my ways, thrown into a world with vast stores of knowledge lost to my world for millennia."

"Must have been a shock?" Angel turned another page, looking up at Merlin.

"It was. Why are you so curious about me?"

"I've never met and Agent of Fate before. I want to know what it's like." Angel turned her aura sense back on, instantly realizing what was going on.

"I hate shape shifters." Angel's eyes glowed red.

"Desmariten." He gave a wicked laugh and assumed his normal form, laughing still.

"Fool." Angel muttered, a smile on her face, and raised a hand to Desmariten, white light flashed and both were bound to the floor of Merlin's house, forbidden to leave, Angel growled the words to another spell, binding Desmariten in his current form. Sora and Riku entered the house as Angel leapt at Desmariten.

"Bastard, I've got you now."

"Do you Angel?" Desmariten danced out of the way of her strike, driving his sword through her ribcage. She held back a cry of pain as Sora rushed Desmariten, the evil creature hissing and retreating as he approached. Angel fell to the floor, white light radiated from her body and the scream she'd been holding back filled the room with her voice. Desmariten's right hand dripped blood onto the wood floor, and Sora understood. Angel collapsed, her form flickering and fading.

"He's using light, Riku, tend to her." Angel lay in a spreading pool of her own blood. Riku ran to her side, kneeling beside her.

"Angel, stay with me."

"Ri-ku, don-t wor-ry. I-m ju-st go-ing home."

"Angel, don't give up, we need you."

"She's been poisoned with light, Riku." Riku nodded, and placed a hand on Angel's skin, letting his darkness flow into her.

She gave a growl, black wings burst from her back as she stood, black energy radiated from her and a black sword formed in each hand, she leapt at Desmariten, attacking him with a kind of fury she had never exhibited before. He tried to block her strikes, but he was being steadily ripped apart, between the enraged black angel and Sora's righteous rage, he simply could not defend himself. Angel beheaded him, his black blood spraying over her pale skin. She drew his spirit into a crystal, locking it away.

"Back to prison you go, bastard." Riku gave a smile, Sora ran to him.

"It's almost time for me to go, Sora." He turned to her.

"Will I see you again?"

"Yes. That I can promise. But first, just one last thing I have to do, before I can go home, one last promise to fulfill." Her right hand glowed with blue light, and she reached into the air before her, grasping something Sora could not see and pulled. Roxas was in her arms a moment later, unconscious.

"I promised to give him his own life, when this was over, him and another." Angel began to fade, taking herself and Roxas to where she knew Axel would be.

"Goodbye, Sora."

"Goodbye…"

Axel wasn't very hard to find, and when she did, she laid Roxas at his feet. "What the…"

"I made a promise." The same blue light shown on her right hand, this time though, she grabbed the chain that bound Axel to his other half and broke it.

"There, enjoy your lives. And take care of him for me. It might take a while for him to wake up."

"I thought…"

"That he rejoined Sora and you would never see him again. You weren't supposed to, and if I hadn't come here to intervene, you wouldn't have. But I made a promise to him, when I first got here. I always keep my promises. May you both live long happy lives, and perhaps we will meet again." Angel faded from their world for the last time, leaving a lasting impression on the minds and hearts of the people she'd encountered, and the lives she'd saved.

Donald and Goofy reappeared after Desmariten's death, intact for the most part, and baring a new kind of hate for the dark. Roxas woke, eventually, and he and Axel lived the quiet lives Angel had wished for them to lead. Sora and Riku stayed together, even after everything went quiet and are still together to this day. Angel returned to the Void, to the arms of her lover, and into the next mission, as Team Blackfire, Fate promoted Angel, allowing her far more freedom in the worlds she visited, allowing her to write the stories of the lives she touched. And for the most part, she ended things well, leading humans into wealth and prosperity.

But the most important detail of all, Desmariten was sentenced to death, erased from the face of the universe, leaving nothing but a black mark on history.


End file.
